HBO Max’s Doom Patrol Is Gloriously Bizarre and Compelling as Ever in Season 4

This is, quite simply, a show that has no reason to exist. Especially not for four seasons while firmly planted in the weirdest, canon-breaking corner of the DC universe. But Doom Patrol does exist, and heading into its fourth season, remains as gloriously bizarre and compelling as ever.

Much like fellow live action DC series Titans, Doom Patrol can trace its origins back to the short-lived DC Universe streaming service that was eventually shuttered and rolled into HBO Max. But unlike the grim-dark (but still good!) Titans, Doom Patrol has carved out space as a bona fide critical hit during its four-season run. It’s not afraid to take on stories of trauma, emotional instability, mental illness, and what exactly makes us human. It just filters those stories through the prism of a robot man, a woman with dozens of personalities, and an irradiated, gauze-covered Matt Bomer who shares his body with an alien energy force.

Though it started as a backdoor pilot in Titans’ first season, Doom Patrol is arguably the antithesis of Titans. It’s the story of a superhero team so wildly dysfunctional they have no business being heroes, and most of the time get lost in their own dysfunction instead of actually saving the day. The fourth season stars Brendan Fraser (Cliff Steele), Diane Guerrero (Jane), Matt Bomer (Larry Trainor), April Bowlby (Rita Farr), Joivan Wade (Cyborg), and Michelle Gomez (Madame Rouge) as the current iteration of the team.

Though most characters in the series are largely DC D-listers, it’s still wild to think they actually got the approval to use DC heavyweight Cyborg, portrayed here by Wade as a more insecure version of the character still desperately trying to rediscover the humanity he lost when he became a robotic superhero. It’s also easy to forget the Brendan Fraser renaissance actually quietly started a few years ago on Doom Patrol, as the actor (now riding the awards hype for his performance in The Whale) has been portraying the foul-mouthed former race car driver brought back to life as a hard-wired brain in a robot body. He’s spent the years since trying to reconnect with the family, and to become a better man. Even though he’s not technically a man anymore at all.

In its fourth season, Doom Patrol is infinitely comfortable in its weird skin, and if you’re a fan, I’d highly recommend a catch-up on the back half of Season 3 before diving back in. It’s easy to forget some of the more complicated mythology, nuanced dynamics, and supporting characters in the long break since the third season dropped a year ago. This has always been a show that revels in its super-weird canon, and Season 4 takes some of the biggest swings yet.